Challenge

Ogihara America Corporation is a manufacturer/supplier of automotive body parts for Mercedes-Benz. The sanding and grinding operations in this plant caused a dust cloud that drifted across the whole plant, settled on the floor (and everything else) and was swept up daily. Without a dedicated dust collection system in place, workers wore respirators for safety. However, when the air conditioning filters began to require changeout during sanding operations, the maintenance crew knew that something had to be done. Further compounding the problem was the limitation on space which the 10 workstations already occupied.

Solution

Ronnie Whitworth, Camfil sales rep at Southern Environmental Air, was called in and asked for his recommendation on the problem. Considering the amount of dust generated, the necessary volume of air required to capture it and the physical space constraints, Ronnie proposed a specialized installation of multiple Gold Series® industrial dust collectors with HemiPleat® filters. The Gold Series Booths (GSBs) would enclose and isolate each of the 10 workstations and occupy a minimum of valuable floor space.

More specifically, eight filter modules, some customized roof panels, and modular accessories would make up the four separate GSB's. Two would be installed side-by-side against the back wall of the work area. Between them, four more GSB's would be configured "double-sided," drawing air from both sides and further reducing the amount of used floor space.

With his Gold Series demo trailer in tow, Ronnie returned to the plant, demonstrating the features and benefits of the filter module right at the customer's site. Everyone concerned with the problem, from management to the maintenance crew, saw the Gold Series' modular design, felt the solid construction and witnessed the powerful self-cleaning filter system. They had considered competitive products, but they admitted later that it was their "hands-on" experience with the Gold Series that assured them that they made the right choice.

The installation was completed with each booth side designed for 18350 m3h at 1883 meters per hour face velocity. Camfil also supplied 996 Pa fans and silencers for an even more comfortable work environment.

Gold Series Booths on sanding and grinding application at Ogihara America Corp.

To optimize the setup, Ron Holland of Southern Environmental Air designed a duct system attached to the blower discharges to create a "return air" configuration, which Camfil offers as a standard GSB option with their internally mounted plug fans. Now, after months of extensive use of their GSB's, Ogihara is very satisfied with the performance of their booths and are considering more booths as their production increases.

Case Study Details

Client Name

Ogihara America Corporation

Application

Sanding/Grinding of Automotive Body Parts

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